ZaDRish  It Wasn't a Kiss!
by SpyroForLife
Summary: Zim and Dib go to the beach! Just a fun summer trip, nothing can go wrong... right? ZaDR/F, one-shot, m/m and plenty of fluffiness.


It Wasn't A Kiss!

Zim stood absolutely still, arms crossed, boots planted stubbornly in the sand. He refused to acknowledge even the warm, slightly salty wind that caressed his face.

"Come on, Zim!" Dib called from the water. He waved at him. "The water's fine!"

Zim glared at him. "No, I hate Earth water! I didn't want to come to the beach anyway, but you talked me into bringing you here!"

He had used the Voot cruiser to fly them to the East Coast, going down almost to Florida in favor of warmer weather and larger waves. He had bathed in paste beforehand, but he didn't plan on going in the water.

Dib shrugged. "All right, your loss." He fixed his glasses, which were strapped tightly to his head with a band so the waves wouldn't knock them off. Then he swam back out.

Zim eventually sat down in the sand. He was still wearing a shirt and pants, though Dib had convinced him to wear swim trunks underneath, just in case. It was too hot to keep boots on; his legs were getting sweaty. He reached down to pull them off and set them aside. He flexed his clawed toes experimentally in the sand. It felt nice, and he relaxed.

He also took his pants off; too hot for them too. He's never really worn swim trunks before, so they were hard to get used to. He did eventually though, and he sat cross-legged in the sand as he built a sand castle. Then he smashed it, laughed maniacally, and rebuilt it.

Then he started watching Dib, who was intention letting the huge waves throw him under, only for him to resurface laughing and go find another.

Zim felt tempted to give the water a try. It did look fun, and he had taken precautions so it wouldn't hurt him. And his disguise would be fine; the contacts stayed in well and his wig had been attached more firmly with a glue-like substance that only a specific chemical would dissolve.

Making up his mind, he stood up, brushing the sand from his legs. He made sure he knew where his pants and boots were, a good distance from the other beachgoers. Then he pulled his shirt off. He felt weird exposing himself like this, but all the other male swimmers went out in just their trunks, so he dealt with it.

He dropped the shirt with the other clothes and walked toward the water. He shivered in apprehension as the sand became moister. When warm water washed across his feet, he felt like bolting, but it didn't hurt him.

Dib saw him and called, "See, I told you it wasn't so bad!"

"Shut up!" Zim yelled back.

Dib just laughed. As he did, he failed to notice a particularly large wave barreling toward him.

That's when Zim realized he was pretty far out, further even than most of the surfers, and surely they knew more about the ocean than he did.

The wave slammed into him, yanking him under viciously. The force was enough to knock his glasses clean off, claiming them for the sea. He coughed, the salt water burning his throat and eyes, fighting the current to get back up to the surface. He had gone too far, though; the undertow had him.

He managed to get a gulp of air, but nearly swallowed another mouthful of water in the process, and was pulled under again.

Zim thought he was just playing at first, then looked closer and realized he actually was having trouble. He wasn't a strong swimmer; this was his first time at the beach. But ever-so-confident, he had gone out further than he should. Now he was too tired to get back to shallow water and the rip tide was pulling him out instead of pushing him toward shore.

Some people on the beach were noticing now and pointing, and the lifeguard was standing up and taking out his binoculars.

Before he could make a move, though, Zim took a running leap and dived gracefully into the water. His attempts to swim were anything but graceful, but as an irken, he was essentially tireless. He managed to get through the water, turning his shoulder into the waves and forcing through them before continuing. He managed to find a swimming pattern that suited him, harsh but effective, making it out to Dib.

The other had sunk under and wasn't resurfacing. Groaning, Zim took in a deep breath, closed his eyes, and ducked under.

The ocean floor was more than a dozen feet under them at this point, and the current dragged at him, but he did not give in to it. His hands groped blindly, and he swam down, feeling in all directions. He even extended a few PAK legs to aid his search. Brushing something, he pulled it toward him and clutched it to his chest; it was Dib.

He broke the surface, breathing hard, his sensitive skin starting to sting despite the earlier paste bath. And the salt wasn't helping matters.

"Dib?" He treaded the water, brushing the boy's hair out of his face. When he saw that his eyes were closed, it sent a spike of fear into him. "Just hold on!" He had to swim with one arm back to shore, holding the human with the other, feet kicking furiously. It was hard, but he was determined.

By now, a crowd was watching, and they shouted out as he returned. The lifeguard swam out to meet them, but Zim shoved past him and stumbled to his feet, now carrying the taller boy, and put him down on his back once he reached dry sand.

He hissed at everyone to stay back and leaned down, resting the side of his head on Dib's chest, his antennae listening through the wig. He wasn't breathing and his heartbeat was slow.

Zim nearly panicked. He placed his hands on Dib's chest and pumped it, making sure his mouth was open, trying to force his lungs to move. Humans need oxygen. Even he knew that.

When that failed, he wracked his brain for something else he could try. He had learned about this in Health class… what was that other method? He was running out of time, and he was not going to let his only friend die. It didn't cross his mind to let the lifeguard help; Dib was his responsibility.

"Mouth-to-mouth!" someone yelled. A chorus repeated it.

Zim tilted his head, and then suddenly remembered the other method of resuscitation. The thought made him cringe, but he was desperate. So he leaned down, pinched Dib's nose shut so the air only had one way to go, fitted their lips together, and breathed into him.

He pulled back, resisting the urge to spit, and took in another deep breath, leaning down once more.

It took several tries, and he was starting to fear he was doing it wrong or was too late. What if his breath ended up hurting him? He wasn't human, he didn't exhale carbon dioxide…

Then he felt the other's chest heave, and he suddenly jolted up, coughing and leaning over to spit up water on the sand.

Zim wiped his mouth off and reached over to rub Dib's back, watching him as he coughed loudly, eyes still shut but very clearly alive.

The surrounding people cheered, calling him a hero, a lifesaver… The lifeguard ran up to them, kneeling down next to Dib and feeling his chest. Then he said, "Just keep coughing, get all the water out…"

"You moron," Zim said, brushing water off of himself, making a face at how the wet sand was clinging to him.

Dib breathed deeply, blinking and wiping his eyes off before squinting at Zim. "Yeah, I'm an idiot, I know…"

"You nearly died," Zim growled.

"Well…" Dib coughed again for a moment. "At least I'm still alive. Can't believe you actually swam out to get me."

"I wasn't going to let you drown."

"The lifeguard could have got me."

"I was faster." Zim gave him a serious look. "You are okay, right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good, because you owe me. Can't believe you made me give you _disgusting_ mouth-to-mouth."

Dib stared at him. "You gave me mouth-to-mouth?"

"Yes."

"Ew…"

"Don't remind me."

After convincing the lifeguard and everyone else that Dib was fine, the crowd slowly dispersed. He got over the experience rather quickly, though he didn't return to the water. He could hardly see, and hadn't brought another pair of glasses.

They decided to just go home shortly after. Putting on their sandy clothes and shoes over damp trunks and skin was unpleasant, and Zim complained about it as he led Dib toward a grove of trees where the Voot was hidden. They climbed inside it; a difficult feat, as it was invisible. The inside, luckily, wasn't.

Zim set it to autopilot and focused his attention on Dib.

The boy smiled at him. "By the way, thanks for saving me."

"You are quite welcome."

"Didn't think you'd actually kiss me."

Zim gave him an indignant look. "I did _not_ kiss you!"

"Your lips touched mine, right? That classifies as a kiss."

"I was giving you mouth-to-mouth!"

"Still a kiss."

"It was not a kiss! I was saving your life!"

Dib just chuckled at how frustrated Zim was getting. "I know. I'm just messing with you, pal."

Zim nodded a little and looked away. When he thought Dib was going to die… it had scared him. He was his only friend, the one who's stood by him no matter what, happy to accept him with open arms in his time of need. And when he saved him… the rush of emotion he had felt was indescribable.

If Dib had died… he would have died without knowing how Zim felt about him. How he's felt about him for some time now… Why has he waited so long? He had almost been too late.

"Anyway…" Zim said, looking back at Dib. He looked strange without his glasses. "That still wasn't a kiss…" He leaned closer. "_This_ is a kiss." He pressed their lips together.

This wasn't forced and practical, but instead, gentle and almost curious. Dib quickly grabbed Zim's wrists, but didn't push him away. He responded cautiously, eyes slipping shut. It was a pleasant sensation, and he found that Zim's lips were soft, his breath warm and deep, almost sweet in taste.

Zim shifted his hands to grasp Dib's, using his teeth to nibble and suckle at his lower lip, making him moan softly in pleasure.

When they separated, Zim rested their foreheads together. "You taste like saltwater," he said playfully.

Dib opened his eyes and blushed. "Heh… I wonder why." He didn't mind the kiss. It had been sweet and friendly, and he had liked it.

"Don't try to die again," Zim ordered.

"I'll try," Dib replied with a smile.

Yes, there was something far more complicated than friendship between them… but whatever it was, it was comfortable, and it was theirs.

They embraced, sinking into each other's arms, happy that they still had each other after earlier. It was just so simple and natural being together like this.

"Good." Satisfied, Zim snuggled comfortably against him, where they stayed together for the rest of the trip home. They really were happy to have each other's friendship.


End file.
